Head Start programs engage in multiple practices to support children and families during the transition to kindergarten. Children moving from Head Start to kindergarten often encounter discontinuities between the program and services they were receiving and the new elementary school environment. This paper uses multiple datasets and methods to…

Previous studies have found that block play results in better spatial ability which may lead to greater mathematical skills. The current study examined a specific type of block play, structured block play in which a copy of a block configuration is constructed. Structured block play is a difficult cognitive task that requires an understanding of…

This study sought to understand the opportunities and challenges associated with the implementation of state designed Race to the Top (RttT) funded reform networks. Drawing on a conceptual framework developed from the networked governance literature, we analyzed the 12 state RttT grantees' applications. Our analysis revealed that states designed…

In this article, Michael McAfee and Mauricio Torre reflect on the successes and challenges of the Promise Neighborhoods movement as it works toward education equity, and on what it takes to effect large-scale, sustainable change for low-income communities and communities of color. Together they discuss the Chula Vista Promise Neighborhood project…

A three-level growth-curve model was applied to estimate perceived impact growth trajectories, using multi-year data from project and school surveys on outcome and program implementation collected from 59 sites and approximately 1165 participating schools in the Safe Schools and Healthy Students Initiative. Primary interest is to determine whether…

Discusses coordination, similarities, and differences among the Job Training Partnership Act, adult education, and vocational education. Highlights Illinois' approach to increasing joint planning and coordination among these three federal programs. (JOW)

Case surveys of 99 federally funded regular education inservice special education training projects revealed, among other findings, that local and state agencies were strongest in collaboration, that projects used the full range of quality practices in their planning, and that projects become more field-based as collaboration increased. (CL)

The most serious problem with the current work force preparation system is that many employment and training programs operate today to serve roughly the same people. Instead, these programs should be coordinated better to lower costs in the face of lowered funding. The General Accounting Office reports that about 125 federal programs do…

The Panel concluded that, despite the several billions of dollars spent by the federal government over the past 15 years, American farmworkers and their families still live and work under conditions which are cruel and harsh by any standard. (Author/NQ)

This paper assesses the rationale for legislated program consolidation, summarizing problems with the current structure of categorical programs and arguments for reform through consolidation, reviewing past consolidation proposals, discussing the likely effects of such proposals, analyzing the state, local, and federal responses that can be…

This paper outlines a proposal for "local program coordination" and assesses its consequences; discusses its educational rationale; describes how local coordination would work and what issues must be explored in assessing its merits; and looks ahead to changes that will affect the prospects for implementing this proposal. (Author/BW)

Describes a project conducted by the Illinois Community College Board to: develop an information base; promote information exchange between Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) sponsors and community colleges; conduct needs analyses; identify resources; match meeds and resources; and provide technical assistance. Identifies factors…

The value of identifying permanent hearing loss during the first few months of life and providing effective treatment to ameliorate or even eliminate the negative consequences has been recognized for many decades. Unfortunately, improvements in achieving this goal were very gradual until the early 1990s. At that time, the combination of…

The regulatory programs of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs have been improved by close cooperation with other federal organizations and private groups or agencies interested in training, employment, and equal opportunity. (RLV)

Cooperative education programs, a nontraditional blending of practice and theory, have become an important feature of current higher education. Some educators estimate that by 1984 half of the higher education institutions in the United States will have developed some form of cooperative education. The Federal government's recent involvement in…